358 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



Shorea Talura, Roxburgh. (8. lactifera, Heyne.) 



India, abounding in Mysore, where South-European fruits prosper. 

 On this tree also the Lac-insect lives. It furnishes a peculiar dammar. 



Sison Amomum, Linn. 



Middle and Southern Europe. An herb of one or two years' 

 duration. It grows best on soil rich in lime. The seeds can be used 

 for condiment. 



Smilax bona I1OX, Linn. (8. tamnoicres, A. Gray.) 



Southern States of North- America and Mexico. The young shoots 

 of this, of S. laurifolia (L.) and some others are edible. 



Smilax China, Linne". 



Japan and China. Stems of medicinal value; in its native country 

 the young shoots used for food. 



Smilax glauca, Walter. 



Southern States of North- America, extending into Mexico. One 

 of the Sarsaparilla-plants, regarded by Dr. Porcher of undoubted 

 medicinial efficacy, both sudorific and alterative, containing much 

 smilacin; it likes rich soil. 



Smilax medica, Chamisso and Schlechtendal. 



Mexico. This plant produces mainly the Sarsaparilla-root of that 

 country. It is one of the richest in smilacin. 



Smilax officinalis, Humboldt. 



New Granada and other parts of Central America. This climbing 

 shrub produces at least a portion of the Columbian sarsaparilla, S. 

 syphilitica (Willdenow) yields some Brazilian sarsaparilla, S. febri- 

 fuga (Kunth) the Purhampui-sarsaparilla of Peru. 



Smilax papyracea, Duhamel. 



Guiana to Brazil. The original of the principal supply of Brazilian 

 sarsaparilla is ascribed to this species, although several others of this 

 genus, largely represented in Brazil, may yield the medicinal root 

 also, so S. Brasiliensis (Sprengel). In warm humid gullies of the 

 temperate zone these plants would probably succeed in establishing 

 themselves. Smilax Australis (R. Brown) extends from the tropical 

 coast-parts of Australia to East-Gippsland. Neither this, nor the 

 East- Australian S. glycyphylla (Smith), nor the New Zealand Ripo- 

 gonum scaudens (Forster), has ever been subjected to accurate 

 therapeutic tests, and the same may be said of numerous other 

 Smilaces, scattered through the warmer countries of the globe. Even 

 the Italian sarsaparilla, which is derived from the Mediterranean S. 

 aspera (Linne), has been introduced into medicine. 



Smilax Pseudo-China, Linnd. 



South-Eastern States of North-America. This climber likes 

 swampy banks of streams for its habitation. Serves as sarsaparilla 



